spillmann echsle architekten

The existing late-classical ensemble comprising the main building and a carriage house is situated on Stapferstrasse on a hilltop in Zurich’s Oberstrass quarter. Now preservation-listed, the structure was built in 1855 as an apartment building. The underground vaults correspond to the orientation of a previous house with a winepress that dates back to the 17th century. Since 1943, the main building and carriage house have been used as a school by the Neue Schule Zürich. Additional classrooms and group rooms required to meet contemporary teaching needs were built in the basement around the historical building.

A plinth is thus created which frames and encloses the old building. The new basement can be reached by an extension of the existing staircase, as well as through a garden entrance. The connection from the carriage house to the auditorium was re-established through the historical vaulted corridor and the remaining stone framing was exposed. The existing assembly hall thus becomes a new central space.

Precisely placed openings in the original outer wall spatially interweave the auditorium with the underground extension. The gently, amorphously curved classrooms in front of it stretch out towards the light and alternate with teacher preparation areas and group rooms. A carefully designed garden space has been created on the roof of the new building. Through the intervention, the main building, the ancillary building and the new basement are merged into one unit, while at the same time the independent expression of the individual parts is strengthened.